Beverly Hills Unified School District News:

 

DEBBIE ALLEN DANCE ACADEMY AT BHUSD

Beverly Hills Unified School District’s Board of Education approved a pilot program for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy to come to the School District through funding from the Beverly Hills Education Foundation. The program came out of conversation between BHEF CEO Devorah Hankin and Ms. Allen over her passion for bringing the arts to public education.  After an initial meeting with Board President Nooshin Meshkaty and Board Member Steven Fenton, and subsequent meetings with Meshkaty and Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator Dana Findley, the program has come to fruition.  

“This is a fabulous opportunity for our children.  Through our elementary school Summer Enrichment Program and Arts Academy, we provide funding for arts education to the District.  We have given substantially to instrumental music, choir, visual arts, theater and dance.  Artists in Residence are a substantial part of our goal and Debbie Allen’s talent and vision is invaluable to our children.  We hope to see this program grow so every child will have access.  This type of partnership between public schools and arts organizations serves as a national model for arts education,” Findley stated.” 

The pilot program provides 200 hours of instruction from Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy for grades K-12; 40 of these hours will be at Beverly Hills High. There is also 25 hours of live drummers for the African dance sessions.  Styles of dance being introduced will include Ballet, Hip-Hop, African, Flamenco, Jazz and Modern.  Ms. Allen also taught a two-hour master choreography and composition class to the Beverly Hills High School Dance Company in January. Debbie Allen and DADA Director Alla Khanlasvili attended the performance and got to see the talents of the dancers to assess where she thought she could add her immense expertise.  

This month, teachers from the Dance Academy began visiting 27 individual classrooms, for four visits each, grades K-5.  In March, they will go to PE programs in grades 5-8 and to the high school dance classes. Future plans include collaborating with Debbie Allen Dance Academy for the Summer Arts Academy, expanding the school year program to incorporate all students and a possible after school program.  Board Member Myra Lurie suggested a program for adult education as well.  

“Having BHUSD collaborate with the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, to offer a dance residency to some of our K-12 students, is a fantastic opportunity,” according to Dana Findley.  “We are so fortunate that our Board of Education and Administration is committed to arts education; and thankful that BHEF funds programs like this one.”

Debbie Allen Dance Academy

Debbie Allen is one of the most respected, relevant, and versatile talents in the entertainment industry.  An internationally recognized director, choreographer and author, Allen serves as Culture Connect Ambassador, representing U.S. visits to Brazil, China, Italy, and India to expand opportunities in arts education for the young people all over the world. Allen is a member of the prestigious ‘President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, a board member of the American Film Institute, and Executive Committee member of the UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television.

She has received three Emmy awards honoring her choreography, and two Emmys and one Golden Globe for her role as “Lydia Grant” in the hit series, Fame.  Allen has choreographed for Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson among many others, and choreographed the Academy Awards 10 times.  She produced the Steven Spielberg epic film Amistad, and directed the second highest rated original movie in Lifetime Channel history, Life is Not A Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story.  Allen has staged musicals for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. where she has been Artist in Residence for more than 10 years.  In 2001, Allen fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Culver City, California, where she offers a comprehensive curriculum for more than 200 boys and girls, ages four to 18, in 12 performing arts disciplines.  Allen plays an active role in each student’s career by offering hands-on instruction and a world renowned faculty, presenting instructors from world famous institutions such as the Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. 

Dana Findley has worked at Beverly Hills Unified School District since 1996 and taught dance at Beverly Hills High School from 1996-2005 and served as the Assistant Principal from 2003-2005.  She currently works with the school district as the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator.  She received her BFA in dance from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana; her MS in Education, with teaching and administrative credentials from National University; and her MFA in dance from California State University Long Beach where she was a part-time lecturer this past fall.  Ms. Findley has danced locally with Naomi Goldberg and Janet Roston, as well as performed with Princess Cruise  Lines.   She is currently dancing with Laurie Sefton’s Clairobscur Dance Company and Dorcas Román Dance Theatre (DRDT) while serving on the Board of Directors for DRDT.